Land of Pictures 2
Sitemap Picture Commentary Continued: Click on Pictures to see their full-sized version. See Also Land_of_Pictures 1 Still More Some weird experiments were done in Rapture. Some things were not quite as benign as first expected. An overgrown adding machine really (because of its limited memory). A Cardreader isnt visible, so how data/programs got into this unit isn't obvious (also a bit early for magnetic tape). $68000 was alot of money in those days (that is approximately $607,000 in today's money). Building type that the game's Skybox artists fixated on for those very tall thin skyline buildings we see dozens of, and many with some weird exaggerated tower/spike on top. The top of the Empire State Building's tower was planned as a mooring mast for Dirigibles (was planned in late 20's) and then repurposed with a radio tower (with lightning rod) added above that. Rapture's buildings need none of those things (radio doesn't work through water). Looked neat ? Not really. The depth of even the tops of Rapture's tallest buildings leave their view of even the bright sun a murky dimness, so even observation decks at their top have little use. Fink Manufacturing's Pez Dispenser - unfortunately he didn't quite get the part about it is supposed to fit in your pocket, but no matter, as nobody in Columbia could afford one (much like those overpriced Vigors). In tests, the ejected candies could take a head off at 50 feet. I almost missed the most obvious on this crossing of the tracks - for the the track above -- cars which hang/run underneath would strike the other track (as draw they weren't separated sufficiently in height). It doesn't appear the upper tracks pillars (both?) were damaged and sank some, which could have explained the odd placement. There also should be an offset overhang for the 'rail' away from the supporting pillar. Its a nice picture, but the artist maybe got a little to involved with the girderwork and didn't check to be consistent (that track with the traincar next to the pillar is with correct arrangement). Since they recycled so many other things (many inappropriately) for Infinite:BS, they could have had that same 'build it - scavenger hunt' for Booker to get past some contrived blockage in the game's stockyard maze. Disrupt the VeronoiField Blocking the corridor leading to Comstock or whatever. So here's what it should look like : (Actually its an era electric air compressor for a pneumatically amplified phonograph - back before vacuum tubes worked doing that). Useful Apparatus for the ADAM business. Somewhat better than a bathtube full of filthy green goo. Actually it is a kind of motor for a clock which rotates when alcohol is vaporized by a heating coil on the lower left, forcing the liquid to the top and other side, and the weight causing that side to get pulled down. Used in a 30's consumer product when small electric motors were still extremely expensive. Comstock's Nightmare. Not sure why Columbia's flag wasn't the Stars-n-Bars with that game's whole strangely contrived society's attitude (Oh thats right - somehow its 'Americas' evils, etc...). Anyway this guy appears in Comstock's nightmares alot, hence Comstock making a hero of Booth the cowardly (never bothered to go fight for the Confederacy) assassin. One of Rapture's 'Streets', with a Trolley track and Sidewalks down its middle, and businesses and apartments to either side. There would be several miles of such 'Streets' in Rapture. They criss-crossed Rapture, and frequently met at intersections like this spot. Sander Cohen guest-hosting Rapture Tonight on the Ryan TV Channel, sub'ing for the regular host. It may not have been "The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson", but it was the 'big time' compared to the plethora of community-access-quality TV channels. Unfortunately with its small venue, you'd be likely any night to see the equivalent of Biggles the Tap Dancing Cat on the show. Real Skyhook on Skyline, if Columbia wasn't hokey fantasy. Was really pathetic when Booker had to get down by being lowered from that hoist. Some industrial sites in Rapture would have things like this, but sorry no rollercoaster rides on these things. Much of the Atlantic Express in Rapture operated like a typical Subway in a big city, and the distances made trips generally not more than a few minutes. Real Edison Concrete(cement at least) Furniture - he bought a cement company and improved some processes and then was looking for NEW things to make out of cement. Edison also actually made ENTIRE houses out of concrete, cast as one piece in a mold. A number of them still exist to this day. With the expense of woods of certain types in Rapture, this might be a viable idea (at least for some things). If they redo Columbia in the MMORPG (Jacks ADAM-addled Fever Dream) something like THIS will be the Skyline. At least its not a dead rat strung across a Splicers face, like later it Chaos-Era Rapture... Mark Twain tried his hand at floating things too. Tennessee Willams Play "A Floating City named Desire" Mixing ADAM with Cats was a VERY bad idea. Made a bit wrong. I wonder if the dev who used this form for their model even knows why it was shaped that way. The Vacuum column mechanism revolutionized Tape Drives, allowing small read/write/seek movements of the tape via air pressure instead of clumsily turning the spools. . . . . ---- ----